Love Joy

Joyelle Nicole Johnson spent her debut hour arguing that everyone on Earth needs to be in therapy, offering her own checkered history as proof of the concept. Her set builds its momentum on chaotic, personal anecdotes, like the time her friend spotted her father on a sugar-daddy website, or her brief relocation to Georgia to ‘swing the vote’ in the 2020 election. She also touches on the indignity of getting pregnant on an Amtrak bathroom floor and the unique misery of living with terrible Craigslist roommates.

The special was filmed at The Bell House in Brooklyn on Johnson’s 40th birthday, capping off a breakthrough year for the veteran comic. In 2021, she had already released her debut album, Yell Joy!, and was writing for HBO’s Pause with Sam Jay. After she performed a set on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Fallon was impressed enough to sign on as an executive producer for this Peacock release. The hour earned a Critics Choice Award nomination for Best Comedy Special.